YOUTH IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA:

EXPANDING ECONOMIC PROSPECTS IN URBAN AREAS

Highlighting Global Lessons, Creating Local Solutions

Hilton Hotel, Rabat, Morocco 4 - 6 December 2006

Pre-conference:  Sunday 3rd December 2006
All day   18:00 – 20:00	Arrival of participants & Registration at hotels   Preparatory meeting for the Youth-Mayors dialogue
Day 1: Monday 4th December 2006
8:00 – 9:30	Registration
9:30 – 11:00   Rabat –Salé Wilaya Grand Hall	Opening Ceremony         Recitation from Holy Quran. Welcoming Remarks: 1.        H.E. Mayor of Rabat 2.        H.E. AUDI President 3.        Speeches by Ministers (TBA) 4.        Director, National School of Architecture 5.        World Bank 6.        MedChild President 7.        Youth Representative
11:00 - 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:00   Rabat –Salé Wilaya Grand Hall	Plenary Session 1: Development and the Next Generation- World Development Report (WDR) Chairperson: Dr. Michal Rutkowski, Director of Human Development Group, MENA Region, World Bank   WDR’s key messages Dr. Emmanuel Jimenez, Director, World Development Report, World Bank   WDR implications for MENA Dr. John Blomquist, Senior Economist, MENA Region, World Bank   Discussion
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch
14:30 – 15:00 Hilton Hotel	Opening of Exhibition at Hilton Hotel
15:00 – 17:00   HALL A	Parallel Session 1: Policies for Youth Transitions: Opportunities, Capabilities & Second Chances Chairperson: Dr. Emmanuel Jimenez, WDR Director, World Bank   Demographic changes in urban areas and their socio-economic implications in Asia Dr. Haryono Suyono, Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK)   Youth Opportunities and Second Chances in Eastern Europe: Lessons for MENA Dr. Alexandre Kolev, Sorbonne, Paris   Migration of MENA Youth: Opportunity or Cost? Dr. Johannes Koettl, Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Discussion
15:00 – 17:00   HALL B	Parallel Session 2:  Youth and Social Transformation in MENA Prof. Osman El Hassan M. Nour: Chairman of the Scientific Committee   Youth at risk in Old Cairo Ms. Tonia Rifaey, Ms.  Joanna Vogel, World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Egypt   The dilemma of meeting the ambitions of a young population and coping with the continuous influence of the regional events: The case of Jordan. Dr. Taghreed abu Hamdan, ESP- USAID, Jordan   Child Labor in Sana'a: Highlights and policy options Ms. Nihan Kosoleci, UCW, Rome, Italy   Factors Associated with Violence among Palestinian Refugee Youth in an Urban Area in Beirut Ms. Taghreed El Hajj, and Dr. Rima Afifi Soweid Dept. of Health Behavior & Education,  American University of Beirut   Child and Youth issues in Iraq: the status quo and expectations (in Arabic) Dr. Ibtisam Al-Ikabi, Ministry of Youth and sport, Iraq   Discussion
15:00 – 17:00     HALL C	Parallel Session 3: Youth Participation in Development Chairperson: Prof. Catherine Guyot, ARVHA   Recasting the Role of Youth in the MENA Region and Beyond: Civic Engagement as a Tool for Learning, Empowerment and Social Change Dr. Serdar M. Degirmencioglu, Dept. of Psychology, Beykent University, Istanbul, Turkey   The Role of Government in social rehabilitation in informal settlements in Morocco: A case study of Hrawiyine community in Casablanca (in French) Ms. Wafaa Belarbi, Architect & Professor, The National School of Architecture, Morocco   Participatory approaches for school programs in rural areas (in French) Prof. Ing. Youssef Talibi and Ms. Bouchra Mrabeti, The National School of Architecture, Morocco   The Role of information in developing youth attitudes and competencies in schools (in French) Ms. Fatima Kander, Ministry of National Education   Discussion
17:00 – 17:30	Coffee Break
17:30 – 19:30 HALL A	Youth-led Workshop on Child Labor in Morocco Facilitator: Moroccan Youth Parliamentarians
19:30	Free Time
Day 2: Tuesday 5th December 2006
9:00 – 11:00   HALL A	Plenary Session 2: Actions on the Ground – Selected MENA Initiatives Chairperson:  Dr. Elmontacir Bensaid, Director, National School of Architecture, Morocco   MENA Child Protection Initiative (in Arabic) Dr. Gamal Hamid, Director, MENA Child Protection Initiative   Implementing Strategy on Children and Youth – A Multi-Sectoral Challenge in Yemen Dr. Nafisa Al-Jaifi and Dr. Abdullah Al-Khameesy, Government of Yemen   Mainstreaming At-Risk Youth in Jordan Dr. Curt Rhodes, Questscope   Implementing MENA Strategy on HIV/AIDS – Challenges and Opportunities Dr. Bachir Souhlal, Lead Social Development Specialist, World Bank   Discussion
11:00 – 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:30   HALL A	Parallel Session 4: Skills Development & Employment Creation Chairperson: Dr. Poonam Ahluwalia, Executive Director, Youth Employment Summit (YES) Campaign   Promoting Skills Training and Employment Opportunities for Urban Youth through Information Technology Initiatives: Best Practice Examples and Strategies Dr. Tan Yigitcanlar, School of Environmental Planning, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia    An Egyptian Partnership Initiative to Enhance Youth Opportunities ,The LEAD Experiment Dr. Madiha el Safty, The American University, Cairo, Egypt   Community Youth Mapping: A Process to Identify Career Development Opportunities for Young People in School to Career Program - Jordan Ms. Hadeel Abu Shama, School-to-Career Program Manager , Amman-Jordan   Youth employment in MENA, with a focus on the Egyptian experience (in Arabic) Mr. Mohammed M. A. Yousif and Ms. Sara N. M. Shazly, Cairo University.   Discussion
11:30 – 13:30   HALL B	Parallel Session 5: Youth as an Asset to Economic Growth Chairperson: Mr. Luis Constantino, Sector Manager, Social Development, MENA Region, World Bank   Relevance of Education in MENA to the World of Work Dr. Michel Welmond, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank   Youth Employment and Investment Climate Dr. Jean Fares, Senior Economist, Social Protection Unit, World Bank   Responding to Weak Labor Market Conditions Facing the Youth. Mr. Richard Street, Dr. Nader Kabbani, Ms. Yamama Aloribi   Barriers to workforce entry in urban Egypt: Analysis of Demand and supply side factors Ms. Doaa Mohie & Dr. Sajeda Amin   Discussion:
11.30 - 13.30   HALL C	Parallel Session 6: Youth-friendly Urban Development Chairperson: Dr. Abdelfattah Ezzine, Research Group on Children & Life Spaces   Design for All Mr. Luc Givry, ARVHA   Sensitization of children to the value of Architecture as a factor to explore the richness of places and cultures (in French) Prof. Catherine Guyot, ARVHA, France.    Integrating youth concerns into urban development strategies: European Experiences Dr. Irene Wiese-von Ofen, International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP)   Discussion:
13:30 – 15:00	Lunch
15:00 – 17:00   HALL A	Parallel Session 7: Economic Opportunities for Youth: Cases and Programs Chairperson: Dr. Hamad Al- Towaijri, Head of Economics Department, King Saud University, Member of Scientific Committee   MENA women's transition from school to work Dr. Sarah Shono & Ms. Susan Smith , American University of Sharjah   The role of urban environmental planning in increasing economic opportunities of youth in the Arab World (in Arabic) Mr. Adel Abdel Raziq, Dept. of Information, General Commission of Environment, Yemen   Youth aspirations between current realities and future expectations: practices from Al-Madina Al-Munawara (in Arabic) Mr. Yahia Seif Salih, Director General, Charitable Organization for Social Services, Al-Madina Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia    The role of public libraries in tackling youth exclusion (The Case of Ireland) Dr. Azzam Elananza, Dublin City University.   Discussion
15:00 – 17:00   HALL B	Parallel Session 8: Youth-friendly Urban Environments Chairperson: Dr. Moh Rejdali, President of Temara Municipality   Impact of the new urban mobilities on urban life (in French) Dr. Mohammed Achour, National School of Architecture, Morocco   The Zanka as a place for social integration and a playground for children: A case study of Dowar Al Domm, Rabat (in French) Ms. Lamya Sarhrouchni   Where To Go, Where To Play: Are There Any Places For Us In The City A qualitative analysis of children out Environment in low-material-resource  neighborhood in Amman, Jordan Dr. Eyyad A. Al-Khalaileh, Architecture and Urban Planning, Al-Ain University, UAE.   At Risk Youth: Architecture: Designing for the mentally ill. Mr. Ayman Makki, Architect, A & D Architects.   Discussion
15.00 – 17.00   HALL C	Parallel Session 9: Regional and International Experiences in Implementing Youth Policies Chairperson: H.E. Ahmed Md. Al-Kahlani, Mayor of Aden Province, Yemen   Children & Youth Focused Municipal policies: The Guatemala Experience Dr. Juan Felipe Sanchez, Senior Children and Youth Specialist, World Bank   British Experience that MENA municipal authorities and national government could consider enhancing youth economic prospects Ms. Wafaa Salim, Architect, Sudan   The Efforts of ISESCO in Serving Youth in Islamic Countries (in Arabic) Ms. Najat Al-Sharif, Islamic Scientific Educational and Cultural Organization, Morocco.   Pilot project to address child labor in Irbid (in Arabic) Mr. Ahmed Al-Ghazou, Mayor of Irbid, Jordan   Discussion